1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to dumpable basket structure for cotton harvesters, and more specifically to cotton basket door and lid structure for improved dumping with a minimum amount of cotton loss and weight shift during pivoting of the basket to dump position.
2. Related Art
Presently available cotton harvesters include a large basket to contain harvested cotton and dump the cotton into trailers or module builders or the like. Typically, dump cylinders rotate the basket about a fore-and-aft extending axis through an angle of greater than 90 degrees to extend the dump side of the basket over the trailer or module builder. As the basket is pivoted, a linkage connected between the basket support frame and the basket lid causes the lid to pivot towards an open position.
One problem with the typical basket is the shift of the center of gravity outwardly in the direction of the dump which causes instability. The outward pivoting of a relatively heavy basket lid during the dump cycle adds to the problem of weight shift. Although various methods of dealing with such instabilities have been devised for self-propelled cotton harvesters, the problem is particularly acute for smaller tractor mounted harvesters having a smaller transverse wheel spacing and less weight to counterbalance the shifted basket load. Some basket structures, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,390, of common ownership with the present application, include fold-down doors with conveyors to extend the dump outwardly while maintaining a small shift in the center of gravity. Other types of basket structures, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,401, also include extension structure connected to the dump side of the basket which swings outwardly with opening of the basket lid. The conveyors and doors and the hydraulics necessary to operate them add cost and complexity to the harvester system which, particularly in more economically priced machines such as the tractor-mounted harvesters, is often unacceptable.
A common problem with many of the previously available types of basket arrangements is cotton loss which results from early opening of the basket lid. The linkage connected between the lid and the frame begins to pivot the lid towards an open dump position well before the basket has reached the final dump position over the trailer or module builder, and under certain conditions, particularly windy conditions, cotton is lost. Often, very long linkages are required between the basket and the frame. If the lid or linkage should bind during the dump cycle, the basket or linkages may be damaged. In many basket structures, the lid is a dome shaped member which, when opened, allows cotton in the upper portion of the basket near the basket walls to spill out away from the desired cotton dump path. As a result, the operator is unable to precisely unload and distribute the cotton into a receiving receptacle such as a module builder.